Ander Herrera names Paul Scholes and Nicky Butt as Manchester United role models

Ander Herrera has made a surprise revelation about his childhood idols (Picture: Getty Images)

Manchester United new boy Ander Herrera has named Nicky Butt as one of his surprise role models in football.

The £29million summer arrival from Athletic Bilbao is already catching admiring glimpses in a Red Devils’ shirt ahead of Saturday’s opening day clash with Swansea City, but will raise a few eyebrows after revealing his inspiration for the future at Old Trafford.

Herrera named former ‘Class of 92′ clogger Butt as players that he looked up to as a youngster, as well as United legend Paul Scholes and former Chelsea midfielder and current Sunderland boss Gus Poyet.

‘I always looked at other players at Real Zaragoza as that’s where I played [as a youngster],’ he told MUTV.

‘Gus Poyet was a role model for me, and then the national team players like Xavi and Iniesta but so were the United players like Scholes and Butt.

‘They not only played well with the ball, they did great work off the ball too and worked hard to defend when they needed to. They were all big role models for me.’